Top 8 Harley-Davidson Cafe Racers

Harley-Davidson is known for building the best cruiser motorcycles and touring bikes. The company never had the urge to blindly follow the trends of other motorcycle manufacturers. It continued doing what it was good at.

Most motorcyclists love this thing about Harley-Davidson and stay loyal to the brand. However, there are motorcycle riders who criticize Harley Davidson for not making any efforts to attract young and rebellious riders.

No doubt, Harley Davidson Sportster models were a great diversion from the company’s routine manufacturing and design practices. It proved to be a successful move to make something sportier and unconventional.

Nonetheless, Harley-Davidson never took advantage of the very popular cafe racer trend. Wait! Is it true? Did Harley Davidson ever produce a factory-made cafe racer?

Even die-hard Harley fans may not know that the company once made a factory cafe racer in 1977, known as the Harley Davidson XLCR. However, at that time, nobody was expecting a Harley Davidson cafe racer, due to which it never got the right amount of attention. Later, it became an antique Harley model.

After an unsuccessful attempt by Harley to produce a cafe racer, the American brand moved on and never produced one again. However, Harley Davidson is a most favorite brand among custom builders due to its superior customizability; you will find many iconic Harley-Davidson cafe racers in the market and online. Continue reading this article to learn about the top 8 Harley-Davidson Cafe Racers.

Before we delve deeper into the topic, we need to know what the cafe racer is and the cafe racer motorcycle definition.

• The cafe racer trend initially became popular in London, UK, in the 1960s.

• The popularity spread like fire all over the world, and it became one of the most popular custom-made bikes.

• Cafe racers are customized motorcycles.

• Discussing cafe racers’ characteristics, we see that they have stripped-down and basic construction, which makes them extremely lightweight.

• They also feature nose fairing.

• The handlebars are quite low-mounted. You may also find clip-on bars on certain cafe racers.

• Cafe racers either have bench-style flat saddles/seats or a small seat with a tail cowl installed at the rear.

• These bikes have tight legroom.

• Cafe racers were originally designed for quick, short trips.

It was in 1977 when the first and the last factory-made Harley Davidson cafe racer came out. At that time, motorcyclists, particularly Harley fans, were not ready for a change. The XLCR failed initially and was, therefore, removed from the lineup shortly after two years in 1979.

Being a great experiment, the Harley Davidson XLCR was known as the eXperimental Lightweight Cafe Racer (XLCR). This Harley cafe also became famously known as the “Excelsior”.

The 1977 Harley Davidson XLCR cafe racer was quite different from the conventional Harleys. It was all black for a blacked-out theme, with only a little chrome on certain parts.

It was built mainly using the Harley Davidson Sportster model at that time. However, several modifications were made to give this bike a cafe racer look. The rear frame section was raised a bit to ensure an attacking cafe racer stance.

The Harley XLCR was equipped with a 997 cc air-cooled V-Twin engine, which was more than enough for a stripped-down cafe racer like this. This bike also featured only a “Four-Speed Gearbox”.

The 1977 Harley XLCR cafe racer was originally designed and built for Willie G. Davidson, who is the grandson of William S. Davidson, the founder of the company. According to Willie Davidson:

Why did the Harley-Davidson XLCR Cafe Racer fail? Everything was good about this bike, and fans were excited, too, but it still failed. This is mainly because the factory-made Harley Davidson cafe racer price was set at $3,595. It may not sound big now, but it was quite high in 1977.

Even though it did not meet the expectation, the Harley XLCR cafe racer was an Original Harley. The round aerodynamic nose fairing with a round LED headlamp, extended slim gas tank, decent saddle, and extended tail-cowl-styled rear mudguard made this bike look unique.

Unlike the front single-disc and rear drum brake setup in the 1970s Harley Davidson Sportsters, the Harley cafe racer featured twin-disc front and single-disc rear brakes.

Being the one and only factory-made Harley cafe and a part of Harley’s antique collection, the Harley XLCR has a good worth.

One of the most sophisticated, stunning, and aggressive Harley-Davidson cafe racer custom-built is the BT-03 by BlackTrack. It is originally designed using the Harley Fat Bob 114. However, it takes inspiration from the original factory-made Harley Davidson XLCR cafe racer.

Despite being quite minimal, aggressive, and light with sharp edges, this Harley Fat Bob custom cafe racer seems very elegant and impressive.

BlackTrack reimagined and restructured the Harley Fat Bob 114 into something completely different. The whole bodywork, chassis, and geometry of the Fat Bob 114 are modified to develop this streamlined custom cafe racer.

Being heavily stripped-down, the BT-03 is undoubtedly more powerful than the Harley Fat Bob in the stock form. The metallic touch, modern design, and custom elements make it stand out in the Harley Cafe Racer’s World.

Another very stylish custom Harley cafe racer built with a sports bike touch is the KNTT by Max Hazan. Those who are a part of the custom motorcycle-building world know Max Hazan is a familiar name. He is widely recognized for his exceptional custom-building skills and the finest models he has created.

The KNTT, built using the Harley-Davidson Knucklehead as the base model, is no exception. He has quite intelligently turned a classic Harley into a modern, sporty cafe racer with fairings.

From the side profile, the KNTT cafe racer may look quite bulky, but it has an overall slim silhouette. There is a smooth and round nose fairing and cafe racer-specific clip-on bars.

What makes the KNTT Harley Cafe Racer a true masterpiece is Hazan’s attention to detail. He has handcrafted certain parts and tuned the engine for modern performance.

It has a metallic finish with gold rims, ensuring a unique look. Being a true cafe racer, the KNTT cafe racer ensures an aggressive stance and attacking angle. This cafe racer is designed and tuned to ensure more focus on speed and agility.

The Vantage Velocity is a more classic-styled, stripped-down Harley Sportster cafe racer by Rough Crafts. The donor for this custom cafe racer is the Harley Davidson Sportster Roadster with the Evolution engine.

This custom cafe racer is quite minimal, with a small gas tank and no nose fairing. However, Rough Crafts has ensured that drastic changes are not made to the frame. This cafe racer still maintains a less aggressive stance due to the dip in the seat height.

The Vantage Velocity cafe racer has a totally blacked-out finish with inverted front forks. This cafe racer somewhere lies between a street tracker and a cafe racer.

Nevertheless, this custom Harley Sportster cafe racer is still one of the most good-looking custom bikes with exceptional fit and finish. It also features low-mounted cafe racer-style clip-on bars with a classic analog meter perfectly integrated in between.

Mark Hawwa is a very familiar name in the motorcycling world. He is the man behind the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, held in Australia for men’s mental health awareness, and the Throttle Roll Custom Bike Show.

He also loves customizing motorcycles and owns a garage named Donut Garage. The V-Racer is the custom Harley Davidson V-Rod Cafe Racer that came out of his garage.

Mark Hawwa has always remained a fan of Harley V-Rod and loved riding one. He had this idea of building a cafe racer from this bike since the day he first rode it. However, it took him too long to execute as it was a wild idea to transform such a long-wheelbase motorcycle into a cafe racer.

Taking help from Black Cycles, he decided to give a sportier bend to the V-Rod to build one of his dream bikes. The result is a very stylish and unique stretched-out Harley Davidson cafe racer with front nose fairing integrated into the gas tank and a tail cowl.

It is a great-looking, neatly designed, custom Harley cafe racer with an elegant fit and finish.

As we all know, the Harley V-Rod is special because of its unique build. The V-Rod’s gas tank is fitted under its seat. Similarly, in the V-Racer cafe racer by Mark Hawwa, the tank is fitted underneath the seat.

However, there is a twist. When you remove the seat, you will see a small storage space for your essentials and a gas tank cap so you can refill. Everything about this Harley cafe racer is top-notch, and you can’t take your eyes away from it.

The Black Knight Harton CR1200 cafe racer ensures a perfect blend of Italian styling and American power. Being built by an Italian custom builder, one can clearly see the Italian touch and engineering.

The Stile Italiano Harton CR1200 is a perfect demonstration of what a classic cafe racer looks like. The round headlamp with an extended and highly bent nose fairing and integrated windscreen ensures a true cafe racer vibe.

Behind the nose fairing, there is a slim and extended gas tank, as you will find in most classic cafe racers. Behind the tank is a flat seat with the iconic cafe racer-style tail cowl.

The Black Knight Harton CR1200 cafe racer features a tuned and powerful 1200 cc V-Twin engine by Harley for better performance.

Despite the classic cafe racer design, this Harley Davidson cafe racer is built with performance in mind. To ensure great handling, the Harley racer is fitted with Ducati Soirt Classic front forks and Bitubo rear shock absorbers.

The gas tank installed on this bike is handcrafted, and the seat is bespoke to set it apart from other cafe racers.

It is difficult to define the Thunderbike PainTTless Harley Sportster custom cafe racer. It is one of the unique and highly customized bikes on our top Harley Davidson cafe racers list. This Harley cafe racer may look a bit less practical cafe racer, but it is surely a garage queen.

The PainTTless by Thunderbike is one of the most minimalist Harley Sportster cafe racers. The most evident highlights of this bike are its wheels and tires and the old 1000 cc Harley Davidson Sportster Ironhead engine. The rest of the bike is just metal.

The PainTTless Harley Sportster cafe racer has also won the annual AMD World Bike Building Championship. It is the type of custom cafe racer that is built from scratch. There is nothing installed on this custom bike that has been taken from the base model.

The Ironhead V-Twin engine has also been modified to match the level of precision that goes into this cafe racer’s design.

If there is one Harley-Davidson bike in the current Sportster lineup that can become a perfect modern cafe racer, it is the Harley Davidson Sportster S. This Sportster is far different from traditional Harleys and the older-generation Sportster models. It is quite minimal, small, and compact compared to other Harleys.

Building a Harley cafe racer out of the Harley Sportster S will be interesting. This is what is done by the CNCPT. The CNCPT Harley Cafe Racer is among the most desirable and good-looking bikes on the Harley Davidson Cafe Racers list.

The standard Harley Sportster S is already a much closer version of a Cafe Racer. However, it is a compact performance cruiser. The presence of the flat solo rider seat, tail cowl, and minimalistic design make it ideal for building a cafe racer.

The Sportster S is not a big guy Harley motorbike, which makes it an ideal choice for a cafe racer. All you need to do is shift the forward foot controls backward and replace the standard handlebars with Cafe Racer’s clip-on bars.

The CNCPT Harley cafe racer defines what the Sportster S is made for. The large and wide twin silencers of Sportster S have also been replaced by a handcrafted INOX exhaust system.

The CNCPT Harley cafe racer also features a handcrafted headlight cover and clip-on handlebars. Though there aren’t many modifications done to build this cafe racer, the CNCPT is surely a very practical Harley cafe racer.